What more do you want?
by TwiEdCul
Summary: One-shot. Will Edward win his best mate over after she's been stood up?


I expected this, I even hoped for it. But I still feel a twinge of I what i don't know... pity? She's been stood up. Again. She's sat, alone in an upscale restaurant, dressed in her favourite little black dress.

I watched her reflection in a mirror and saw the sigh that gusted out of Bella's mouth and I watched her ruffle her hair as she sat back in her chair, closing her eyes.

It was time to make my move.

Before she could even become aware of my presence behind her, I cupped the back of her neck, and using my thumb caressed her just under her left ear. I felt her pulse leap, saw a smile burst across her face as she turned to look back over her shoulder. I stepped up beside her and watched as her smile died.

She yanked herself away from my touch, and frowned at me. "What're_ you_ doing here?" she said, obviously irritated.

I just gave her a long-suffering look. Before saying, "Come on. Let's go."

She hunched a shoulder and turned her head away. "Get lost. I don't need you to rescue me."

I glanced at the two empty water bottles sitting before her and pulled a bill out of my wallet to leave on the table. Then I stood there for a moment, gazing at the top of her head, my mind juggling the usual spank her or kiss her debate. Under my breath, I said, "Yes, you do. And this time I'm going to do it right."

In one way or another, I've been rescuing her since we were kids, and she'd always resented it. Whether as a pre-pubescent tomboy, or the swan she'd evolved into, she'd been diving headfirst into catastrophes and I've been reeling her out. And though until just recently, I've hoped, she'd viewed me as nothing more than a bothersome big brother, I've _never _considered her a sister.

My problem was that every time I had tried to tell her how I felt, I would muck it up, the result being she'd never believed me.

I reached down and started to pull her chair out from the table, the muscles of my arm flexing.

She didn't surprise me. True to form, Bella was stubborn and tried to dig her feet in, but after a brief struggle she must have realized it was pointless. With a sigh, she let me help her up and followed me out of the restaurant. we walked for a block without speaking, but I had no problem reading her thoughts. She had an expressive face, and I've been translating it for years.

Before long I was unlocking the passenger door of my car. "Come on. Get in."

She pulled away from me, then turned and lifted her head and looked into my eyes, still not saying anything.

I felt my lips twitch. "What? Still mad at me?"

She settled her butt back against the side of my car and shook her head, a sad look on her face. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at Mike. Mad at myself; or at least disgusted with myself." my heart clenched as tears began to roll down her face. "What's wrong with me, Edward? Why is it so hard for me to find someone who will care about_ me _once in a while, instead of thinking only of himself? Someone who can remember which night of the week is _my_ night, and which night is the night with the guys."

Taking a step forward, she settled herself against my body, her arms around my waist, and the side of her face resting on my throat. My chin came down, and using it, I gently rubbed the top of her head while my arms surrounded her in a gesture of comfort and protection. Our movements were fluid and natural, as if we'd stood like this many times before. In fact we had.

Bella mumbled into the bare flesh beneath my mouth, "If you crack a joke, or make fun of me, I swear I'll bite you."

I cupped the back of her head, pulled back, and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "It wouldn't be the first time, would it? All right, no jokes, no making fun. Come on. Get in the car. Everything will be okay. I promise."

Frowning up at me, Bella said, "I have my own car here."

Lightly squeezing her head, I said, "Swanny, I told you to get in the car. Now get in!"

Wrenching herself out of my hands, she said, "Don't call me that! And how many times have I told you, _you are not the boss of me!" _

Grinning, I replied, "I've lost count. But I do remember that you were six years old the first time you said it."

Grumbling, crossing her arms over her chest and staying her ground, she said, "For all the good it's done me."

Exasperated, I said, "Fine, I didn't want to do this here, but you leave me no choice." With that, I pushed her back against the car, using the weight of my pelvis to hold her there, letting her feel one facet of my desire, but knowing I had to make her understand the extent of it. With a deep breath, I said, "You've been a part of my life since you were six, and I was eight. So I can speak with authority and say there is nothing wrong with you, Bella." I paused. "I wanted to drive you to the park near where we lived when we were kids. I was fourteen years old the first time I told you I wanted to marry you, and that's where we were. Since then I've told you four times. And each time, it was in that park."

I felt her gasp and heard the wobble in her voice as she said, "I told you no jokes. You're making fun of me again."

I leant my forehead on hers. "Sweetheart, it's never been a joke. But the way I feel about you scares me, so every time I tried to tell you I deliberately made it sound like I was teasing. But I was serious, even when I was fourteen. Every time, I was standing there with my heart in my palms, offering it to you."

Bella put her hands on my chest and pushed me away, looking up into my face. "What are you saying?"

I swallowed around my heart, which had taken up lodging in his throat. "I guess I still haven't said it, have I? I love you, Bella. I want you to be my wife. And lately I've been thinking that, just maybe, you love me too."

She punched me on the shoulder and then yelled in my face. "You moron! Of course I love you. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Laughing, I grabbed her fist, and then pulled her tightly to me. Lowering my mouth to hers, I said, "I've been asking you to marry me since I was fourteen! What more do you want?"


End file.
